Federal agency puts MPD under review
‘Comprehensive’ examination of police policies was requested by city
The U.S. Department of Justice said Wednesday it will will examine over the next two years community policing and use of force by Memphis police as part of a federal review of the Memphis Police Department.
The “comprehensive review” was requested by Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland and Police Director Michael Rallings.
“To improve you have to go get a checkup,” Rallings said at a news conference where the collaborative review of the department was announced. “We are opening ourselves up. We know there may be some things that we may not be happy with, but if you really want to improve, you have to open yourself up.”
The review will be conducted by DOJ’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, which promotes strengthening police ties with communities.
Officials pointed out no recent event prompted the call for the review, but U.S. Attorney Edward L. Stanton III mentioned a reform initiative last month after a federal review of the fatal shooting of Darrius Stewart concluded with insufficient evidence to support charges against former Memphis police Officer Connor Schilling.
“During last month’s announcement, I acknowledged the cries and concerns of this community have not been ignored nor fallen on deaf ears,” Stanton said. “Not only in the Stewart matter, but other instances and issues expressed by the citizens of our city over the past number of months and recent years.”
Stanton added that he recommended that the city participate in the DOJ review of its 189-year-old police department.
“I want to be clear, COPS as you will hear is not a quick fix, a magic wand or a panacea to the challenges that law enforcement face as it relates to community policing,” Stanton said. “I believe it is a true collaborative reform premised upon the community being engaged and involved throughout the entire process as opposed to just on the back end.”
Noble Wray, head of the DOJ’s COPS program, said the review is designed to help a police department improve its operations, but it takes commitment from the officers, city leaders and citizens.
He said two community “listening sessions” will be held Nov. 29 at Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church and Nov. 30 at Hickory Hill Community Center to get input form residents.
“In order for this process to work, the community needs to hold the department accountable,” Wray said. “That’s why we do it in the light of day.”
Wray said 14 law enforcement agencies have been reviewed by COPS, including police departments in San Francisco, Philadelphia, Las Vegas and North Charleston, S.C.
Following the assessments, the COPS office issues a public report detailing the findings. They also evaluate progress made in implementing recommendations over an 18-month period following the initial assessment.
Officals said the review of Memphis is not like a review conducted by the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division.
The Civil Right Division investigated police in Baltimore and Ferguson, Mo., finding a pattern or practice of unlawful conduct. This division can force departments into court-monitored legal settlements if it finds constitutional violations like it did in Ferguson.
“This is a two-year process and you really do open yourself up to a lot of scrutiny. These reports sometimes can be pretty harsh and I have to say that upfront,” Wray said.
Wray said after such reviews, a lot of positive changes can occur with a department like it did in Las Vegas.
“Not only were they able to deal with improved response to mentally ill de-escalation, but they also had a drop in use of force incidents,” Wray said.
He said that they began meeting with Memphis officials eight to nine months ago to determine if the department met the criteria to be part of the review.
“It is not uncommon for us to get a call after a high-profile incident has occurred in a city, but that was not the case here,” Wray said. “The (police) director reached out to us, and he did this at the time he was serving as interim director. We asked him, ‘Why are you looking at collaborative reform for the city of Memphis?’ and his response was ‘I want to improve.’”